{{Cquote|We [[Republicans]] originally thought that Fox worked for us, and now we're discovering that we're working for Fox. |||[[David Frum]], former [[American Enterprise Institute]] fellow, March 2010}}

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The '''Fox News Channel''' is a [[United States]] [[cable]] and [[satellite]] [[news]] channel. It is a 24-hour general news service covering breaking news as well as political, business and entertainment news. The average age of its viewership is 65 years old, and even 70 years old for its [[O'Reilly Factor]]. Much of Fox News Channel is self-serving "happy talk," telling its elderly audience what it wants to hear, or selling O'Reilly's latest book.

The Fox News Channel heavily promotes [[RINO Backers]] -- commentators who may appear to be [[conservative]] but side with [[RINO]]s just when it matters most. Examples include [[Bill O'Reilly]], [[Sean Hannity]], [[Karl Rove]], and [[Rush Limbaugh]], who savaged [[Todd Akin]] for making a [[pro-life]] statement pointing out that pregnancy from rape is rare due to feminine biology. '''''The Fox News Channel gives Karl Rove a platform to raise money against [[pro-life]] Republican candidates'''''.

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==Slogan==

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[[File:FoxNewsInfromed.jpg|230px|thumb|left|Thakns very much!]]

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Even center-right pundit [[Sarah Palin]] is too [[conservative]] for Fox News Channel, as when it canceled some of her interviews at a key political moment in August 2012,<ref>"[[Sarah Palin]]: 'Fox canceled my interviews.''" [http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/08/sarah-palin-fox-cancelled-my-interviews-133729.html]</ref> and then refused to renew her contract. And Fox News believes that the former [[Guatemala|guatemalan]] president [[Efraín Ríos Montt]] was a dictator.<ref>http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/01/28/former-guatemalan-dictator-efrain-rios-montt-to-stand-trial-on-genocide-charges/</ref>

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"''[[Balance fallacy|Fair & Balanced]]''" is a trademarked slogan of this agency, originally used in conjunction with "''Real Journalism''."<ref>And yes, somehow they don't have a problem dropping that phrase (that they ''admit'' they are opening the possibility to fake journalism).</ref>

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More generally, the Fox News Channel heavily favors [[neoconservatives]] and generally avoids or even sides against [[liberals]] on most political issues. The Fox News Channel is particularly weak in criticizing the [[homosexual agenda]] and [[abortion]]. The Fox News Channel often helps elect less conservative [[Republican]]s, as when it repeatedly featured and promoted [[John McCain]] and [[Chris Christie]] while excluding their more [[conservative]] primary opponents. It drifted further from the [[Conservative Movement|conservative movement]] by petulantly declaring that [[conservative]] [[Newt Gingrich]] would not be accepted back.<ref>http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/04/ailes-newt-cant-come-back-to-fox-120421.html</ref>

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Slogans also used:

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*"''We Report. You Decide''" — Closer to "''We Report, You Make Believe''"<ref>Slogan of parody network [[wp:CNNNN|CNNNN]].</ref> than you'd like to think.

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*"''The Most Powerful Name in News''" — You don't need to be trusted, just need to be [[argument from authority|powerful to have people to believe in you]].

The Fox News channel was started in 1996 by [[Rupert Murdoch]] and [[Roger Ailes]], who perceived a need for a news organization that offered more balanced reporting, one where the facts from all sides would be presented. [[Mainstream media]] "[[political correctness]]" was banished. As an example, Fox news [[anchor]]s call [[terrorist]]s what they are, (terrorists), instead of referring to them as "militants." As of February, 2007, polls show that over 20% of Americans say their main source of news is the Fox News Channel.

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==Ownership==

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Fox News is part of Australian born, naturalized U.S. citizen<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/10/07billionaires_Rupert-Murdoch_639W.html Murdoch's bio.]</ref> [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s media empire, News Corporation. This empire includes ''[[The Sun]]'' newspaper in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. ''The Sun'', well known for high quality and thought-provoking journalism as well as their high level of accuracy in reporting, makes a great companion to Fox News. It is also noted for its tastefully nekkid [http://www.page3.com/ Page Three Girls] (Warning: NSFW!)

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Fox News has dominated the ratings of other cable news outlets.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center]</ref> Launched by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and former political consultant Roger Ailes as a refuge for viewers fed up with real or perceived liberal bias everywhere in the so-called "[[mainstream media]]", Fox is the undisputed ratings champion of cable news. It's been trouncing [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]] and [[CNBC]] for years, and draws a much larger audience share than all competitors, including the three major broadcast news shows, combined. It is by far the most profitable news network in the world, on track to earn more than $700 Million in 2010.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/media/10ailes.html New York Times, January 9, 2010]</ref> But the profit motive may cause some of the hostility Fox News has to the [[conservative]] positions on important social issues.

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Murdoch isn't easily embarrassed by much, but when the now defunct ''[[News of the World]]'' was caught hacking into cell phones and bribing police, the [[British]] Parliament held hearings, forcing Murdoch to distance himself, arguably to a degree from his own son. Curiously his other news outlets in Australia and the US, including Fox, barely acknowledged the sister rag's disaster across the ocean.

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Indeed, for over 100 consecutive months, FNC has been the most-watched cable news channel in the country. FNC is available in more than 90 million homes. It is part of the Fox Television Stations Group, a subsidiary of [[Australia|Australian]]-born media mogul [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[News Corporation]]. [[Roger Ailes]] was named Chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group on August 15, 2005.

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Interestingly, the Nº2 shareholder of NewsCorp is Alwaleed Bin Talal, a [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] prince and businessman who also heads the "Kingdom Foundation."<ref name ="Kingom Foundation Web Page">[http://www.kingdom.net/en/CorpCocialRes_KF.asp] Kingdom Foundation</ref> In 2010, Fox News reported that the "[[Park51|mosque]]" to be built next<ref>Well, OK. Two blocks away.</ref> to the site of the former World Trade Center was funded by the Kingdom Foundation, an organization they say which "funds madrasas [sic] all over the world", as a possible link to [[terrorist]] motives for the building of the mosque, while failing to mention that the guy who funds it [[irony|is also in business]] with Murdoch.<ref name ="NYtimes Report">Mackey, Robert: [http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/saudi-royal-backs-imam-and-fox-news/ Fox News Funded by Kingdom Foundation] NY Times</ref> So, if Fox News were to be judged by its own standards of [[guilt by association]], it would qualify as a terrorist front.

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==Fair and Balanced==

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=== Control ===

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[[Image:Fair_balanced.jpg‎ |thumb|left|Fair And Balanced Logo]]

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As a public company, Fox is technically no longer foreign owned, since anyone can buy a slice of ownership, but it's still very much foreign controlled, which seems to escape the far-right.

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Critics have been known to complain about the "Fair & Balanced" slogan. Former President [[Bill Clinton]] exploded at ''Fox News Sunday'' anchor [[Chris Wallace]] in September of 2006, accusing him of "a nice little conservative hit job" after being lightly pressed by Wallace about his record on fighting [[Al Qaeda]]. Democratic politicians and advocates have relentlessly attacked the cable network, sometimes accusing it of being a Republican [[propaganda|propaganda mill]]. Former Vice-President and environmentalist [[Al Gore]] has likened Fox to a right-wing "[[fifth column]]." Groups, such as [[MoveOn.org]], funded a classic [[schlockumentary]] entitled ''Outfoxed'', which purports to expose the channel's 'nefarious Republican agenda'. Some have referred to FOX News as "the propaganda arm of the Republican Party" or "Faux News." In a grandstanding gesture of political theater the group unsuccessfully petitioned the [[Federal Trade Commission]] to stop Fox's from using its slogan as "deceptive advertising". It was unanimously rejected. <ref>[http://www.showbizdata.com/news/36127/FTC-REJECTS-COMPLAINTS-AGAINST-FOX-NEWS FTC: "It's best to ignore nuts"]</ref> Fox News spokesman Rob Zimmerman told today's (Tuesday) Wall Street Journal: "If they can attack Fox News to this extreme, ''then all news organizations are at risk to be targeted by similar attacks. ... It's best to ignore nuts."''

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Rolling Stone magazine charged that Ailes has “built the most formidable propaganda machine ever seen outside of the [[Communist]] bloc.” Ailes responded accusing NBC, CBS, ABC, The New York Times, and the rest of running a liberal propaganda machine. {{cquote| If they did fair and balanced news, we’d be out of business.}}

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Rupert Murdoch mandated his 'news' outlets (including [[Wall Street Journal|WSJ]]) not to report negative stories about [[China]], partly to assure the Chinese he can control what's released and partly to protect his own business interests.{{fact}} When [[Israel]] bombed Lebanon's infrastructure rather than [[Hamas]], again Rupert directed Fox to cover his assets.{{fact}}

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A recent comprehensive study by [[UCLA]] political scientist Tim Groseclose and University of Missouri-Columbia economics professor Jeffrey Milyo found [[Brit Hume]]'s ''Special Report'' — Fox's most straightforward news show — more centrist than any of the three major networks' evening newscasts, all of which are liberal. <ref>[http://rcp.missouri.edu/articles/milyo_media.html]</ref> The program is a model of smart news television.

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==Staffing==

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Fox News employs people on all parts of the political spectrum, from the far-right to the ultra-right.

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[[Roger Ailes]], the president of Fox News, was [[Richard Nixon|Tricky Dick]]’s media advisor.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/opinion/08krugman.html?ex=1349496000&en=ffaa699077e7335a&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink Same Old Party]</ref>

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Although it is true that the Fox's opinion shows (as opposed to its news shows) are, as they're supposed to be, frequently bombastic and opinionated; it is equally true that Fox's biggest super-star, [[Bill O'Reilly]] is not a mainstream Republican, but a registered [[Independent]] who sides with conservatives. He regularly charges the oil companies with price-gouging and attacks big business for quashing the little guy. Greta Van Susteren's politics are unclear, as she mostly covers the [[crime]]-of-the-day stories. [[Geraldo Rivera]] is traditionally liberal on most issues, with the exception of being a strong supporter of the military and stiff penalties for [[sex offender]]s.

* [[Newt Gingrich]], serial [[adultery|adulterer]] and former Speaker of the [[House of Representatives|House]]

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* [[Greg Gutfeld]]

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* <big>[[Sean Hannity]]</big>, of the eponymous show ''Hannity''

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* [[Mike Huckabee]]

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* [[Brit Hume]],<ref name="FBH">[http://www.foxnews.com/bios/talent/brit-hume/ Brit Hume at Fox]</ref> once lauded for his [[Iraq War]] coverage, now another retired hack turning up on Fox every Sunday

Some liberal commentators, such as news analyst [[Marvin Kalb]], and [[Eleanor Clift]], are affiliated with the channel. In general, Fox News is closer to mainstream America than [[CBS]], [[ABC]], [[NBC]] or [[CNN]], its founding mission.

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==Programming==

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Fox News' usual programming includes anything containing the words: [[Paris Hilton]], Anna Nicole Smith, celebrity, or other such pointless drivel. Occasionally, they let actual news slip by, but it is always quickly removed. They are also your National Headquarters for uninteresting Southern [[California]] car chases.{{more}}

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Conservatives have criticism for the Fox News Channel as well. For example, conservatives have complained about [[Fox News and homosexuality|how Fox News has covered the homosexuality issue]]. In 2006, the [[conservative]] reporter [[Peter LaBarbera]] wrote that "Fox News and Wal-mart are among the high-level ($10,000) sponsors of the [[National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association]]’s (NLGJA) 2006 Convention in Miami."<ref>http://americansfortruth.com/issues/corporate-promotion/corporations/food-beverage-household-brands/coca-cola</ref> In addition, their 'Fair and Balanced' motto allows [[liberal propaganda]], lies, deceit, and half-truths to gain an audience. In reality, Fox was judged to actually provide a more "fair and balanced" coverage in the 2008 Presidential race than all three MSM networks, who had a decidedly pro-Obama tilt, a study by the ''Center for Media and Public Affairs''. <ref>[http://www.cmpa.com/pdf/08summer.pdf Center for Media and Public Affairs: ''How TV News Has Covered McCain, Obama and Hillary'']</ref>

Fox News was the first to inform us that [[Barack Obama]] is a [[Muslim]] sleeper, trained in a radical Islamic madrasa, a co-conspirator of terrorist [[Bill Ayers]], who salutes his wife with a "terrorist fist jab." Fox is still awaiting a Pulitzer for these notable revelations.<ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/19/fox-obama-madrassa Obama Smeared As Former ‘Madrassa’ Student, Possible Covert Muslim Extremist]</ref>

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Talk to any Fox News-hating liberal and you'll here the same old regurgitated talking point- ''"Fox is not Fair & Balanced,"'' ''"Rightwing propaganda."'' One network, Fox News, has twice the number of opposing commentators than does all media sources combined. If you add up the major media properties; ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, PBS, New York Times, Washington Post, and Newsweek -- you get a total of five [[Token conservative | so-called conservative]] personalities among hundreds of liberals. At the least, Fox News employs the following [[liberal]]s;

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*[[Juan Williams]]

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Covering international affairs, Fox News ensures that there is somehow a reason that the US is involved. Such as: "Lots of [[murder]] and [[genocide]] is going on in that small African country, but fortunately, the US has no plans to [[Iraq|send soldiers there at all]]," or: "The Asian stockmarket [[Great_Recession#2007_-_2008|crashed today]] in a total collapse of their economy, as a result the US stock market will likely suffer slightly until the Asians get their act together."

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*[[Alan Colmes]]

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*[[Kirsten Powers]]

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*[[Shepard Smith]]

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*[[Geraldo Rivera]]

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*[[Mara Liasson]]

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*[[Bill Schulz]]

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*[[Susan Estrich]]

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*[[Bob Beckel]]

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*[[Santita Jackson]]

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*[[Simon Rosenberg]]

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Fox invented the technique of showing one thing on the screen while commenting upon the opposite, such as Sean Hannity repeatedly asserting [[Rudy Giuliani]] was winning the 2008 Republican debates, while live polls showed [[Ron Paul]] winning.<ref name="UK">[http://disinter.wordpress.com/2007/06/30/lundin-on-the-censorship-of-ron-paul/ Fox's Hannity reports Ron Paul losing when actually winning]</ref> In November 2009, Sean Hannity marveled at the turnout for a conservative political rally while showing footage of another. Fox and Hannity reported long queues for Sarah Palin's book signings, whereas the actual video came from a [[McCain]] campaign rally a year earlier.<ref name="SP">[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts988 Fox News again accused of airing misleading video]</ref>

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A 2009 national survey showed that 46% of those who watch FOX News “just about every day” are [[Democrat]]s or Independents. [[Dick Morris]] interpreted the numbers and determines, ''"Could it be that the [[Obama Administration]] is concerned about FOX News not because it is 'an arm of the Republican Party' but because it is so widely seen among Democrats and Independents?"'' <ref>[http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/fox-news-reaches-across-party-lines/ FOX NEWS REACHES ACROSS PARTY LINES, Dick Morris.com, October 19, 2009]</ref>

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When a major news story is breaking and the news is injurious to conservatives or Republicans or can't otherwise be avoided, Fox News takes one or more of these strategies:

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# Remind viewers that President Bill Clinton had [[fellatio]] in the White House and "damaged" the Presidency

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# Bring in some sort of reminder of [[9/11]] and emphasize that the nation is [[PATRIOT Act|safer from terrorism]] because of what the Republicans are doing

# When all of the above fail, just go ahead and change the party affiliation (from [[Republican party|R]] to [[Democratic Party|D]]) of the person who's in trouble (see below)

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=== The Five ===

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===Flogging wingnut pseudoscience===

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The show that replaced Glenn Beck's ratings dominance is 'The Five', described as a “roundtable ensemble of five rotating FOX personalities...." <ref>[http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/30/fox-news-to-replace-beck-with-the-five/, Fox News to Replace Beck With ‘The Five’, NYTimes, June 30, 2011]</ref>

Naturally, Fox absolutely loves the [[manufactroversy|manufactroversies]] over [[evolution]] and [[global warming]]. They have even gone so far as to hawk [[Ken Ham]]'s [[Creation Museum]].<ref>[http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/creationism-on-fox-news/ The Sensuous Curmudgeon provides a few examples.]</ref> Global warming [[denial]] is also a favorite.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgZU5uvM5Ok Watch Bill Nye smack down a denier on Billo's show]</ref> During the breaking of the [[Climategate]] "story," VP Bill Sammon sent a memo encouraging anchors to run with the story, writing: "'''It is not our place as journalists to assert such notions as facts, especially as this debate intensifies'''."<ref>[http://www.grist.org/article/2010-12-15-memo-fox-news-reporters-ordered-to-promote-climategate-conspirac Fox News Reporters Ordered to Promote Climategate Conspiracy Theories], Grist</ref> Steve Milloy, of course, is a constant source of denialism, general [[anti-environmentalism]], and copious amounts of [[hippie]]-punching.

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== Ratings Dominance ==

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===Ad refusals===

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Fox News Channel was the 2nd highest rated cable channel on all of television during the first quarter of 2009 in prime time Total Viewers. CNN was 17th and MSNBC 24th for the first three months of the year. FNC beat CNN and MSNBC combined and gained the most compared to the first quarter of 2008, up 24%. 2009's first quarter was FNC's 3rd highest rated quarter in prime time in the network's history — just behind Q4 '08 and Q3 '05. In prime time, ages 25-54 demo, and in total day in both categories, FNC grew more year-to-year than CNN and MSNBC combined. FNC had nine of the top 10 programs on cable news in Total Viewers.

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Fox is known for occasionally refusing advertisements not coinciding with Murdoch's view of what's good for America. For example, in May 2010, Fox refused to air an advert from [http://www.votevets.org/ VoteVets], veterans of [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]], asking for clean energy development to reduce our dependence upon Middle Eastern [[oil]].<ref name="VV"> Weber, Christopher. [http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/05/05/fox-news-refuses-to-air-climate-bill-ad/ Fox News Refuses to Air Climate Bill Ad] PoliticsDaily</ref>

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[[Bill O'Reilly|The O'Reilly Factor]] has now been #1 on cable news for 100 consecutive months, up 27% in Total Viewers year-over-year. [Citation Needed]

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===Musical interludes===

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In 2006, Trent Reznor issued a cease and desist to Fox News for using three songs from Nine Inch Nails' ''The Fragile'' on air without permission. The songs "La Mer," "The Great Below," and "The Mark Has Been Made" appeared in an episode of ''War Stories with Oliver North''.<ref name="NIN1">Reznor, Trent; [http://theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=06&m=10#1161617908 Fox News, War Stories, and Nine Inch Nails] NIN Hotline</ref>

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[[Glenn Beck]] dominated the ratings before leaving the network in June 2011. Beck broke every single record for the 5 P.M. timeslot. The leftist mob learned to hate him with a passion and [[Center For American Progress]]' senior fellow [[Van Jones]] is taking credit for Beck's retirement.

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==Availability==

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As of January 2005, it is available to 85 million households in the U.S. and to other viewers internationally. Many of the more outrageous or potentially controversial clips, particularly those of their opinion pundits are widely available on [[YouTube]].

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April 2009 statistics showed three new programs beat CNN and MSNBC ''combined'' in total viewers during their respective time slots.

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==Popularity==

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One thing Fox has been quite effective at doing is securing a dedicated and loyal audience of considerable size, virtually all of them conservative Republicans. Many Fox News viewers consider it to be literally the only reliable source of information in the United States, leading to laughs all round.

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On the Record with Greta Van Susteren is up 55% in total viewers and 75% in the demo. Your World with Neil Cavuto is up 60% in Total Viewers and 102% in the demo. Glenn Beck, is up 212% in the demo and up 128% in total viewers. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/april_ratings_fnc_beats_cnn_and_msnbc_combined_115179.asp Media Bistro: April Ratings: FNC Beats CNN and MSNBC Combined]

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===Polls===

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</ref>

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====Popularity====

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A January 2010 survey<ref name="PPP">[http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_National_126.pdf Most Trusted name in TV News {PDF}]</ref> conducted by [http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/ Public Policy Polling] reveals Fox News as the most trusted name in television, voted tops by three quarters of Republicans and considerably fewer Democrats.

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== Fox News Canada ==

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{{Cquote|“A generation ago you would have expected Americans to place their trust in the most neutral and unbiased conveyors of news. But the media landscape has really changed and now they’re turning more toward the outlets that tell them what they want to hear.”|||Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling}}

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Liberals have successfully painted Fox News as being blocked in [[Canada]] because of laws against lying, the premise is false. While they don't operate in Canada because of the legal tactics of direct competitor and wholly-owned government entity Canadian Broadcast Corporation ([[CBC]]), Fox News does have a broadcast presence by way of independent media companies like Bell, Rogers and 20 other companies. <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184837,00.html Where in the World is FOX?, Fox News, march 1, 2011]</ref>

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== Anti-elitist ==

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It is interesting to wonder, however, that somehow, despite their higher-than-everyone-else ratings, everyone else is labeled as the "[[mainstream media]]".

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Conservatives argue that Fox's real ethos is not Republican or conservative, but anti-[[elitist]] — a major reason it connects with so many Americans and annoys so many coastal elites. "There's a whole country that elitists will never acknowledge," Ailes once observed. "What people resent deeply out there are those in the 'blue states' thinking they're smarter." This anti-elitism shows itself in Fox's pro-U.S. stance in covering the [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq war]]s and its broadcasters' use of terms such as "terrorist" instead of the politically correct "militant" to refer to terrorists. Since the [[Vietnam War]] era, mainstream [[journalist]]s have tended to see such blunt language and side-taking as unsophisticated, a betrayal of journalistic [[objectivity]], or perhaps their own ingrained biases against government in general.

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Another aspect of Fox's anti-elitism is the treatment of [[evangelical]] and [[fundamentalist Christian]]s with respect, far from the normal liberal media's depiction as lunatics or extremists. "We regularly have on the Rev. Franklin Graham, [[Dr. James Dobson]] and other religious leaders, just as we put on Pat Ireland and Eleanor Clift," Ailes said, continuing, ''"Most Americans believe in God and have that as their foundation in life. So why shouldn't we have as guests people that they like, respect and want to hear from?" '' Ailes said he didn't get "too worked up" by a Pew Foundation study that showed that Fox has more Republican viewers than CNN, CNBC or MSNBC and that his reporters and anchors insert their opinions into stories far more than competitors do. Numbers might have something to do with it: Fox is beating the combined audience of the other three. But Ailes dismissed Pew as a "liberal [[lobbyist|lobbying]] organization." He said, "Most polls today are not taken to provide information to the public but to get press for the organization taking the polls. I took a poll of Pew, and 98% of my organization found that they were biased", Ailes said with a wink. <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

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====Reliability====

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Popularity does not translate into integrity or knowledge. A December 2010 University of Maryland study showed Fox News viewers aren't merely the most ''uninformed'', but the most ''misinformed''.<ref name="UM">[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/17/fox-news-viewers-are-the-_n_798146.html Fox News Viewers Are The Most Misinformed]</ref>

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In response, Project director Tom Rosenstiel said the study "was not a poll. It was a content analysis designed by a four-university research team and executed at the [[University of Alabama]]." ''One plus for Fox, he said, was that researchers found Fox News stories were more forthcoming about sourcing than their cable rivals.'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

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A November 2011 Fairleigh Dickinson University study found similar results, that people who watched no news were better informed than those who watched Fox News. Fox viewers were much more likely "to believe false information about politics."<ref name="FDU">[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/21/fox-news-viewers-less-informed-people-fairleigh-dickinson_n_1106305.html Fox News Viewers Know Less Than People Who Don't Watch Any News]</ref> The study also revealed Fox News fans had a poor grasp of situations in the [[Middle East]].<ref name="slatest">[http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/11/21/fairleigh_dickinson_publicmind_poll_shows_fox_news_viewers_less_informed_on_major_news_stories.html Study Shows Fox News Viewers Less Informed on Major Stories]</ref>

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== Fringe views Versus Fox News ==

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===News babes===

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"What really frustrates liberals about Fox, though, is simply that, along with [[talk radio]] and the conservative [[blogosphere]], it has helped shatter the left's near-monopoly on news and information. Fox's opinion-driven programming gives conservatives and liberals a chance to get a fair hearing for their ideas. But Democratic politicians and activists who go on Fox also must defend their views, often against tough questioning, something that happens less often on the networks, where most journalists are left-of-center, survey after survey has shown", said columnist Brian Anderson. "Even more significant, Fox came on the scene a decade ago as a professional news organization that could define and report news as something different from what the elite consensus says it is. To take one of many examples, the corruption of the [[United Nations]]' oil-for-food initiative in [[Iraq]], initially downplayed by the mainstream media because of their sympathy for internationalism, was uncovered — deemed newsworthy — on Fox."

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[[File:Courtney Friel.jpg|thumb|News babe in her natural habitat]]

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In order to capture the demographic that is too old to either Google for [[porn]] or buy Playboy, Fox employs a host of hawt "news babes" (or "anchor babes"). Many of the news babes were former models or have used Fox to bolster their modeling careers. Because the only thing that's expected of them is to look good in short skirts and hooker boots while regurgitating wingnut talking points, the news babe phenomenon might be the ultimate case of [[wingnut welfare]]. The most popular news babes are, in order:

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All this wouldn't matter if Fox News wasn't so influential. But it is. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 20% of Americans now claim to get news from it, and lots of them (37%) are Democrats or independents. The network's success has also sparked a "Fox effect," leading some competitors to become more open to right-of-center opinions: MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," hosted by former Republican congressman [[Joe Scarborough]], is a prime example. Until a few years ago, Democrats never had to deal with all these conservatives in the media. <ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-anderson4oct04,0,2195035.story?coll=la-opinion-center</ref>

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*[[Megyn Kelly]]

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*Ainsley Earheardt

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*Jenna Lee

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*Julie Banderas

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*Martha MacCallum

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*Courtney Friel<ref>According to the poll numbers on the [http://www.foxnewsgirls.com/ Fox News Girls] website. What? I go there for the columns, honest.</ref>

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Ailes said Fox News has no agenda. His charge to his reporters and anchors is simple: "If you make a mistake, get on the air as fast as you can and admit it. ... Do your homework. Make sure you reach out to a point of view you don't agree with to be sure you have some balance in your piece, because journalists, despite the public perception, are not empty-headed fools. They actually come to the job with some ideas and biases." When asked whether the media have a "conscious bias," Ailes said: "I don't know whether it's conscious or not. I think people who are biased to the left and right are by and large honest people who bring their life experience to whatever their beliefs are. I don't think there's some conspiracy of bias to the left, ''but I do think that [[New York]] and [[Los Angeles]] have different views than many people that I know from other parts of the country."'' <ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-04-06-media-mix_x.htm</ref>

[[Barack Hussein Obama]] has thin skin when it comes to criticism of his policies. The entire [[mainstream media]] has thrown its support to Obama and refuses to questions his policies. Fox News is the lone station that will criticize Obama fairly. Obama said, <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/media_critic_fox_news/2009/06/19/227121.html Media Critic: Fox Only Press Doing Its Job] NewsMax, June 19, 2009</ref>

{{cquote| “I’ve got one television station that is entirely devoted to attacking my administration…That’s a pretty big megaphone. You’d be hard pressed if you watched the entire day to find a positive story about me on that front.” }}

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The President has praised MSNBC and berated Fox News. Considering that MSNBC devoted itself to attacking George W Bush and his administration, this is hypocritical on Obama's part. To sum it up, all other major news networks have let themselves become servile heralds of the liberal agenda, while Fox news is the only station that will call Obama out on anything he does.

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===Tea Party===

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Throughout the 2009-2010 congressional campaign season, Fox News Corp strongly backed and at times took credit for the [[Tea Party]] movement, showcasing [[Sarah Palin]] and often backing <s>lunatic</s> fringe candidates such as [[Christine O'Donnell]]<ref>[http://mediamatters.org/research/201009150053 "Mike Castle is over. Christine O'Donnell is now": The making of a Fox News candidate]</ref><ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-boehlert/fox-news-has-a-christine_b_731208.html Fox News Has a Christine O'Donnell Problem]</ref> and [[Sharron Angle]],<ref>[http://mediamatters.org/blog/201007140031 Sharron Angle suggests she prefers to appear on Fox because they let her raise money]</ref><ref>[http://mediamatters.org/research/201011020013 HannityPAC: The GOP's man inside Fox: "Sharron Angle bragged about raising money on Hannity's show"]</ref> as well as lunatic <s>fringe</s> figures such as [[Michelle Bachmann]].

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Media critic David Zurawik said “Thank goodness at least one TV outlet, Fox, is questioning Team Obama as it pushes for the kind of massive change in American life not seen since the era of Franklin Roosevelt,” and "...ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and the others allow their news operations to be used by the White House for partisan political reasons."

[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205966,00.html This is a transcript] of Ailes speaking to the Television Critics Association, which will be enlightening to readers digging into the Fox take on reporting and its reaction to controversy about its mission.

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On November 20, 2008, [[Roger Ailes]], who now holds the titles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, FOX News and Chairman of FOX Television Stations, signed a new five year contract with News Corporation, it was announced by Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The contract will pay him over 23 million dollars in 2009. <ref>[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/roger_ailes_signs_new_5year_deal_with_news_corp_101312.asp Ailes Inks 5 Year Deal With NewsCorp]</ref>

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Fox backed away from self-criticism in the 8 January 2011 [[Jared Loughner|shooting of Gabrielle Giffords]], in which six others were killed, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl. In repudiating responsibility for rhetoric, [[Sean Hannity]] implied liberals were at fault. On 12 January, [[Sarah Palin]] issued a “blood libel” video statement, denying her Giffords-in-the-crosshairs attacks could be at fault while implying she (Palin) was the real victim.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-01-13-palin13_ST_N.htm Sarah Palin's 'blood libel' claim stirs controversy]</ref>

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During Ailes' time with [[News Corporation|News Corp]], [[FNC]] passed [[CNN]] in ratings in all day parts in 2002 to become the number one news network in the country, nearing full distribution with more than 90 million subscribers. In 2007, he launched the [[Fox Business Channel]] which currently reaches more than 40 million homes and served as the biggest launch in cable television history. Throughout Mr. Ailes' tenure, FOX Television Stations has increased its market share each of the last three years with all time record shares in the last two years. In addition, Fox Television Stations has expanded its local news presence by nearly 100 hours a week in a challenging economic climate.

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Meanwhile, Fox cancelled a planned appearance of Joan Rivers who partially blamed the Arizona shootings on Palin and referred to Sarah as "stupid and a threat."<ref>[http://www.tmz.com/2011/01/19/joan-rivers-banned-from-fox-and-friends-arizona-shooting-congresswoman-gabrielle-giffordds/ Controversy Over FOX Show Canceling Joan Rivers]</ref> Fox naturally denied cancellation, insisting it wasn't censorship but a 'mistake', immediately refuted by Joan's daughter Melissa Rivers and a Rivers producer and respresentative.<ref>[http://www.bittenandbound.com/2011/01/20/joan-rivers-controversial-sarah-palin-comments-video/ Fox Bans Joan Rivers over Controversial Sarah Palin Comments]</ref>

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{{cquote|'''At a time when the broadcast networks are struggling with diminishing audiences and profits in news, he has built Fox News into the profit engine of the News Corporation. ''Fox News is believed to make more money than CNN, MSNBC and the evening newscasts of NBC, ABC and CBS combined.'' The division is on track to achieve $700 million in operating profit this year, according to analyst estimates.''' <small>--- The New York Times, 1/9/2010 </small> <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/media/10ailes.html?pagewanted=all Ailes: Fox News Chief at the Pinnacle of Media and Politics ]</ref> }}

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== Tony Snow ==

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==Criticism==

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In April, 2006 the [[White House]] selected [[Tony Snow]], Fox News Anchorman, to be the new White House Press Secretary. "Snow, who in his roles as a [[pundit]] on Fox News and elsewhere has rapped Bush on several occasions, joined the White House only after extracting a promise that he would become an adviser to the president on day-to-day strategy...the former columnist will be the first outsider to become part of Bush's revamped inner circle.", said the [[Washington Post]]. <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/26/AR2006042600558.html</ref>

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Snow, 50, worked most recently as host for ''Fox News Sunday, with Tony Snow'' and as host of his own radio talk show. He was a director of speech-writing for President [[George H.W. Bush]] and has worked as a [[USA Today]] columnist, Editorial Page Editor of the [[Washington Times]], deputy editorial page editor of the [[Detroit News]] and frequent substitute for radio host [[Rush Limbaugh]]. <ref>http://whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060426.html</ref> Snow died July 12, 2008, after an unsuccessful battle with colon cancer.

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Fox News has been the subject of a variety of criticisms.

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==Bill O'Reilly==

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===Disguised opinion===

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The [[O'Reilly Factor]] has been the most watched cable news segment for eight years. [[Bill O'Reilly]] has interviewed Barack Obama and other high profile guests on his show.

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:"FOX News destroys NBC and CNN on cable every night. We cover the news. We don't ignore it. And we don't denigrate it." - Bill O'Reilly

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Bill O'Reilly is a registered independent, but sides with Republicans on most issues, excluding several Christian causes. Bill O'Reilly wrote the best seller "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity." Like [[Sean Hannity]] and other commentators on Fox, O'Reilly's role is that of an independent contractor, expressing his own opinions, not those of Fox News, as opposed to the networks news anchors, like Shepard Smith.

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==Sarah Palin==

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In lieu of sourcing, Fox News uses phrases like "some say…" or "someone asked…" to obscure editorial manipulation and opinion-casting. 'Some' have called it (wink) empty calories of journalism.<ref>[http://www.upworthy.com/want-to-see-fox-news-lose-all-its-credibility-in-93-seconds Video: Credibility Loss in 93 Seconds]</ref>

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The network confirmed in January of 2010 that the former [[Alaska|Alaskan]] governor [[Sarah Palin]] had signed a multiyear contract to appear on the news station periodically. Potentially in a format similar to LtCol (ret) Oliver L. North's "War stories" documentary series. <ref>http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/sarah-palin-to-contribute-to-fox-news/?scp=2&sq=Palin&st=cse</ref>

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==Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld==

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===Graphics===

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Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld is a hybrid news / comedic satire show hosted by Greg Gutfeld. The show appears on Fox News at 3:00 a.m. EST on weekdays. Their ratings are remarkable for the time slot. <ref>[http://www.mediaite.com/online/red-eye-resurgence-more-demo-viewers-watch-fox-at-3am-than-cnn-at-8pm/ Red Eye Resurgence: More Demo Viewers Watch Fox At 3am Than CNN at 8pm, October 5th, 2009]</ref>

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{{cquote|

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The ratings came out for September and Red Eye is up over 30% in total viewers and up 50% in the key demo (25-54) since July. They have more overall viewers than every CNBC show, every MSNBC show that is on before Hardball, most of HLN, and American Morning on CNN.}}

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September 2010 marks the third anniversary of RedEye w/ Greg Gutfeld. It was noted that their rating for 3:00 a.m. EST beat out [[CNN]],

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Fox News exploits the mathematical illiteracy of the public by using graphs distorted beyond what mere incompetence could explain. In many cases, their figures don't add up and in others, numbers are graphically misrepresented - as people rarely ''read'' the numbers when a graph is given.<ref>[http://boingboing.net/2011/12/14/fox-news-decrees-that-8-6-8.html Boing Boing - Fox News decrees that 8.6% > 8.9%]</ref>

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{{cquote|This time, the show had better ratings in the A25-54 demographic than Campbell Brown at 8pmET and Larry King at 9pmET, and tied Anderson Cooper at 10pmET (Monday-Thursday).}}

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===Fox Nation===

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==Fox News Channel and Homosexuality ==

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''see also:'' [[Fox News and homosexuality]] and [[Homosexuality in the media]]

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In April of 2009, [[Media Matters]] began documenting Fox Nation's false and blatantly biased stories. After one year, their laundry list of the most extreme examples contained approximately 350 entries.<ref name="MM2009">[http://mediamatters.org/search/tag/fox_nation?page=1&tab=all&tags=fox_nation Media Matters: Fox Nation] Blatant errors and falsehoods</ref>

Fox News is a regular exhibitor at these annual Job Fairs. News Corp sponsored the opening reception for first time attendees in 2006, as well as sponsoring workshops on Journalism in various colleges in 2007.<ref>http://www.fox.com/diversity/outreach/lgbt.htm</ref>}}

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In 2010, the [[National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association]] declared that [[Kelly Wright]], a Fox News Channel representative, attended NLGJA's 15th Annual New York Benefit.<ref>http://www.nlgja.org/news/NYE2010.htm</ref> According the Fox News Channel website: "Kelly Wright is co-anchor of "FOX & Friends Weekend" as well as a general assignment correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC)."<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/bios/talent/kelly-wright/</ref> Wright is a graduate of the [[Christian]] university [[Oral Roberts University]].<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/bios/talent/kelly-wright/</ref> In January of 2010, the [[pro-life]] website published by Jill Stanek claimed Kelly Wright is a pastor.<ref>http://www.jillstanek.com/pregnancy/foxs-kelly-wrig.html</ref> According to [[Christianity]] and the [[Bible]], [[Homosexuality and the Bible|homosexuality is a sin]].

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The documentary [http://www.outfoxed.org/ ''Outfoxed''] examines the biases and internal pressures at Fox News and their network outlets.<ref name="OF">[http://www.outfoxed.org/ Outfoxed] Rupert Murdoch's war on journalism</ref>

The [[Traditional Values Coalition]] states the following regarding the Fox News Channel and the issue of [[homosexuality]]:

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{{cquote|The [[National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association]] has hundreds of members and is heavily funded by Hearst newspapers, Knight-Ridder, [[CBS News]], [[CNN]], Gannett, [[NBC]], [[Los Angeles Times]], [[Fox News]], and more. Major newspapers throughout the U.S. have homosexual activists on their staffs who filter what you read about homosexuality.<ref>http://www.traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/Homosexuality101.pdf</ref>}}

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[[Accuracy in Media]] declared concerning the Fox News Channel:

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===Further wingnut welfare===

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{{cquote|Media organizations which underwrote the convention included NBC News, Times Inc., Turner Broadcasting, Knight-Ridder, the Washington Post and Fox News Network. That’s right - Fox News. This is supposed to be a conservative network. ABC, NBC, CBS, the New York Times, and USA Today all sent recruiters to the event, to hire open gays as journalists. Fitzpatrick comments, "By treating the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association as a legitimate counterpart to black and Hispanic journalists’ associations, these media organizations showed that they agree with the notion that homosexuals, a group defined by behavior rather than immutable characteristics, constitute a bona fide minority."<ref>http://ghroll.blogspot.com/2008/03/homosexuality-in-media.html</ref>}}

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Besides its stable of news babes, Fox keeps a large number of other wingnuts on its dole. The two most egregious examples are the former GOP convicts it employs, [[Oliver North]], an architect of the [[Iran-Contra]] affair, and [[G. Gordon Liddy]], one of the [[Watergate]] plumbers. (Bets on when [[Tom DeLay]] gets hired?) Then there are the <s>propagandists</s> <s>strategerists</s> "analysts" like [[Frank Luntz]] and [[Karl Rove]]. Don't forget your Steve Milloy-type corporate shills either.

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=== Bill O'Reilly and the homosexuality issue ===

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===Wikipedia===

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[[Wikipedia]] dedicates an entire article to Fox News distortions and questionable acts.<ref>[[WP:Fox_News_Channel_controversies | Fox News Channel controversies]]</ref> The fact that it is 88 kilobytes in size, and about 10,000 words long, while the main article is only around 64 kb, and 8000 words long, should raise a few eyebrows, and not only that, [[WP:Fox_News_Channel|their "Fox News" article]] is so controversial they had to semi-protect it.

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''see also:'' [[Bill O'Reilly and the homosexuality issue]] and [[Homosexuality in the media]]

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===Media Matters===

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Media Matters reports instances in which Fox News altered images of people, places, and things to influence viewers. <ref>[http://mediamatters.org/search/tag/fox_news_channel Media Matters on Fox], a 445 pages list articles.</ref> They even have subcategories for individual programs and personalities.

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The [[American Family Association]] reported the following in regards to [[Bill O'Reilly]] who host the O'Reilly Report which is a popular program on the Fox News Channel:

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====The party switch====

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{{cquote|On February 11, 2004, Bill O'Reilly, host of The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, featured Kevin Jennings, the executive director of GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network.) Jennings, former teacher turned homosexual activist, along with a lesbian counterpart, discussed GLSEN's new pro-homosexual curriculum on marriage being marketed to children and youth in public schools all across America under the guise of "tolerance."...

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One of the more interesting Fox Techniques involves the fairly consistent "party switch" from Republican (R) to Democrat (D) when a prominent GOP member is caught up in a public scandal. The following is a list of various examples of such (see [http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5914682&mesg_id=5914819 here] for screen captures of each):

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*Mark Foley - A Republican member of the House of Representatives from Florida, Foley was alleged to have sent sexually inappropriate messages via email and text messages to teenage male pages. Ironically, he also introduced the "Child Modeling Exploitation prevention Act of 2002". In several interviews, Fox News tagged him as a (D), or Democrat, on their subtitles.<ref>They really have done this - as documented by the [[:Image:Fox News - Mark Foley D-FL.png|Daily Show]] on October 4, 2006.</ref>

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*John McCain - Seen by many as a more moderate Republican during and following the 2004 Republican primaries, Fox News also labeled him a (D).

*Ted Stevens - Prior to the 2008 Senate elections, this Senator from [[Alaska]] was facing charges of failing to disclose benefits received. Fox News labeled him a (D).

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*Mark Sanford - The Republican Governor of South Carolina in 2009 was dramatically found to be having an affair with an Argentinian woman after a week in which his whereabouts were unknown. During his press conference in which he admitted his affair, Fox News identified him as a (D).

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O'Reilly, watched heavily by conservatives and Christians alike, shocked much of his constituency on September 3, 2002 when he publicly announced his support of homosexual rights in the nation's largest “gay” publication, ''The Advocate''. His sympathetic, lenient views on “gay” adoption and his mixed-message stance on “gay” marriage have caused great dissent among his loyalists - and no doubt cost him viewers.<ref>http://www.afa.net/homosexual_agenda/GetArticle.asp?id=115</ref>}}

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===Foxual revisionism===

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[[WorldNetDaily]] stated the following regarding O'Reilly and his exchange with the [[Ex-Homosexuals|ex-homosexual]] and evangelical minister Stephen Bennett:

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Fox has notoriously editted crowds at <s>spontaneous</s> staged events to inflate the appearance of large numbers that attended Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and Tea Party 'events'. Writer Lindsay Robertson shows a "fun gotcha" how Fox [http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/sharpeyed-viewers-catch-master-chef-faking-a-huge-crowd--3229 photoshops (or videoshops) footage] to exaggerate crowd number sizes for their reality program ''Master Chef''.

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{{cquote|Fox News is threatening to sue a prominent evangelical minister in the ex-homosexual movement who engaged in a volatile exchange over biblical morality on the top-rated television program "The O'Reilly Factor" in September.

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Stephen Bennett, who says he left his homosexual lifestyle nearly 11 years ago, has distributed a 60-minute audio tape program called the "The O'Reilly Shocker," in which he responds to host Bill O'Reilly's characterization of people who take the Bible literally as "religious fanatics.".

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Chris Wallace interviewed [[Jon Stewart]] on his show ''Fox News Sunday'', where Stewart gave a pretty decent spanking to Fox News and Wallace. However, when it was broadcast Fox had deleted out 10 minutes of the 24 minute interview including all the embarrassing bits.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/19/jon-stewart-fox-news-sunday-video_n_879964.html Jon Stewart LIVE On Fox News, Tells Host 'You're Insane' (VIDEO)]</ref><ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/23/chris-wallace-jon-stewart_n_883211.html Chris Wallace: Jon Stewart Interview Editing Was Fair (VIDEO)]</ref>

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Bennett said he has received hundreds of e-mails from viewers of the segment who said they were outraged at O'Reilly's "anger and verbal abuse." <ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30300</ref>}}

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Not to be deterred by revisionism, the following Tuesday Stewart used the predominate theme "Fox News doesn't lie" in the edited interview, and listed dozens of Fox lies.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/22/jon-stewart-fox-news-politifact_n_881998.html Jon Stewart Trumpets False Fox News Statements Fact-Checked By Politifact (VIDEO)]</ref> Wallace's response to the editing and lies pointed out by Stewart was to apologize for saying Fox News provided the other side of the story instead of the full story...or as Stewart paraphrased "That's your 'setting the record straight'? 'I accidentally told the truth and now I wish I could take it back'?"<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/28/jon-stewart-chris-wallace-cry-babies_n_885830.html Jon Stewart Rips Chris Wallace, Fox News 'Crybabies' For Not Responding To Fact Checks (VIDEO)]</ref>

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In response to the threatened lawsuit of the Fox News Channel the Agape Press reported:

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===Quotes about Fox News===

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{{cquote|But Mike DePrimo, senior litigation counsel for the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy, which represents Bennett, says Bennett has a right to distribute a recording of the program -- and that his use of the tape is legal under copyright law's allowance of fair use and comment.

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"The law provides that even copyrighted material may be used, provided it's used not for commercial gain but for comment," DePrimo says. "Stephen Bennett used the material from the O'Reilly show simply to rebut the arguments O'Reilly put forward."

The attorney implies there may be another reason the popular O'Reilly wants distribution of the tape stopped -- and it has to do with image. "O'Reilly promotes himself as a [[conservative]]," DePrimo explains. "In fact, Bennett's tape shows that O'Reilly is simply another media elite who's advancing the [[Homosexual Agenda|homosexual agenda]] -- and he doesn't want to be exposed for what he is."<ref>http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/afa/32003a.asp</ref>}}

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{{cquote|Fox tends to lean more to the right than a man who's just had his right leg blown off. |20|20|[[Charlie Brooker]], ''Newswipe''}}

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Bill O'Reilly describes himself as a practicing [[Roman Catholic]].<ref>http://www.billoreilly.com/newslettercolumn?pid=29184</ref> According to the [[Vatican]] individuals should not engage in homosexual acts as they are acts of serious depravity.<ref>http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html</ref>

{{cquote|They're getting somebody who tells the other side of the story.|||Chris Wallace in response to Jon Stewart asking if Fox News is as ideologically neutral as most of the mainstream media}}

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[[Image:Peter.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Peter LaBarbera]] ]]

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{{cquote|That to Fox, any editorial view that doesn't favor conservatism is elitist, but favoring conservatism is justified because it needs to be protected against liberal biases. And if you question this logic, it only proves how right they are.|||Jon Stewart's depiction of Fox News and rationale for bias

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In April of 2009, [[Peter LaBarbera]] of [[Americans for Truth]] wrote:

{{cquote|How fascinating that [[Wayne Besen]] (left) is given the opportunity to appear on FOX News, of all places..., to critique alleged “[[homophobia|homophobic]]” attitudes and speech toward homosexuals — when he has such a well-deserved reputation for being one of the nastiest “queer” activists in the business.<ref>http://americansfortruth.com/news/gays-hating-ex-gays-wayne-besens-verbal-assault-on-greg-quinlan.html</ref>}}

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In March of 2009, [[Peter LaBarbera]] declared:

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{{cquote|Once again, we <nowiki>[Fox]</nowiki> put something on the air that's a flat out lie and distortion.|||Bob Beckel on distortions of Obama's comments about infrastructure (01-Aug-12)<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/fox-news-bob-beckel-flat-out-lie_n_1729654.html?utm_hp_ref=media Fox News' Bob Beckel: 'Once Again We Put Something On The Air That's A Flat Out Lie' (VIDEO) - Huffington Post]</ref>}}

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{{cquote|Temple U. Professor Dr. Marc Lamont Hill (left), a frequent guest on FOX News, believes Americans are “[[homophobia|homophobic]]” because most still don’t like to see homosexuality (compared to heterosexuality) on TV or the big screen. We say Prof. Hill should get off his liberal high horse and stop lecturing Americans for their normal reaction to unnatural and immoral behavior....

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Enough already. Gay sex is wrong, [[Homosexuality and health|unhealthy (especially between men)]], and my hunch is it’s still pretty off-putting to most FOX viewers who are honest with themselves. And that’s OK. But I’ll go further: if there is a growing acceptance of homo-sexual behavior, especially among young people, that’s not a good thing but a sign of America’s descent into decadence, and our departure from a transcendent Judeo-Christian moral code that has served this nation well.<ref>http://americansfortruth.com/news/were-all-homophobes-now-letter-to-foxs-red-eye.html</ref>}}

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==See also==

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*[[Mainstream media]]

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*[[Liberal bias]]

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*[[Fox Going Out of Business Network]]

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*[[Roger Ailes]]

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In 2006, [[Peter LaBarbera]] wrote:

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==External links==

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{{cquote|Fox News and Wal-mart are among the high-level ($10,000) sponsors of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association’s (NLGJA) 2006 Convention in Miami (Sept 7-10 at Loew’s Miami Beach Hotel). Every year, the NLGJA garners hundreds of thousands of dollars in Big Media sponsorships for its convention; this year it appears (based on the sponsorship list below) that the total is around half a milliion dollars in corporate support...

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*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf2JVIdh2eU Never has a Fox parody been so simple.]

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*[http://projectcensored.org/publications/2005/11.html Fox goes to court for the 'right to lie']

*[http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/international_security_bt/102.php Misperceptions, the Media and the Iraq War], PIPA

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*[http://www.newshounds.us/ NewsHounds: ''We watch Fox so you don't have to.'']

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Our question for Fox News executives is: if you are truly “fair and balanced,” will you now give an equal and corresponding grant to Americans for Truth or another pro-family organization, say, Accuracy in Media, that counters the ubiquitous pro-”gay” spin in the media? We’ll be awaiting your answer.<ref>http://americansfortruth.com/issues/corporate-promotion/corporations/food-beverage-household-brands/coca-cola</ref>}}

The Fox News Channel is a [[United States]] [[cable]] and [[satellite]] [[news]] channel. It is part of the Fox Television Stations Group, a subsidiary of [[Australia|Australian]]-born media mogul [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[News Corporation]].

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[[Category:Unremitting horror]]

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[[Category:Denialist organizations]]

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Slated reported in 2008 that since 1997, [[Republicans]] have received a slight majority - 56% of the $4.76 million in campaign donations from the Murdoch family and the [[News Corporation]]'s political action committees and employees.<ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2196085/</ref> However, [[Slate]] also reported in 2008: "Since Democrats won control of Congress in the 2006 elections, the company and its employees have given more than twice as much to [[Democrats]] as to [[Republicans]]."<ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2196085/</ref> Generally speaking, [[Republicans]] have less favorable views and policies concerning homosexuality than [[Democrats]].<ref>http://www.gallup.com/poll/137357/Four-Moral-Issues-Sharply-Divide-Americans.aspx</ref> The Pew Research Center reported in 2010: "In broad terms, voters view the Democratic Party's ideology as the opposite of the Republican Party's: 58% say the Democratic Party is either very liberal or liberal..."<ref>http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1669/political-ideology-democrats-seen-farther-from-center-than-republicans</ref> In the United States, twice as many liberals as conservatives (46% versus 22%) believe people are born homosexual and [[Views on Homosexuality|liberals generally have more favorable opinions about homosexuality]].<ref>http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=764</ref> In recent years, Rupert Murdoch has formed a relationship with the [[liberal]]s/[[Democrats]] [[Bill Clinton]] and [[Hillary Clinton]]. In 2005, he invited musician [[Bono]] and Bill Clinton to a company conference on the environment, [[Islam]] in the West, and future of the world.<ref>http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/54/biz_06rich400_Keith-Rupert-Murdoch_639W.html</ref>

Rupert Murdoch has been married three times and divorced two times. Before Rupert Murdoch left his second wife, he was anointed as a member of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great, for his "unblemished character."<ref>http://weeklywire.com/ww/01-20-98/alibi_opinion.html</ref>

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The [[Roman Catholic Church]]'s position is that having homosexual desires can be a choice in individuals but having homosexual desires is not a choice in respect to all individuals.<ref>http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html</ref><ref>http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19861001_homosexual-persons_en.html</ref> However, as noted earlier, according to the [[Vatican]] individuals should not engage in homosexual acts as they are acts of serious depravity.<ref>http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html</ref>

"America's News Headquarters"— Don't go anywhere else, we have all the information you need.

Ownership

Fox News is part of Australian born, naturalized U.S. citizen[3]Rupert Murdoch's media empire, News Corporation. This empire includes The Sun newspaper in the UK. The Sun, well known for high quality and thought-provoking journalism as well as their high level of accuracy in reporting, makes a great companion to Fox News. It is also noted for its tastefully nekkid Page Three Girls (Warning: NSFW!)

Murdoch isn't easily embarrassed by much, but when the now defunct News of the World was caught hacking into cell phones and bribing police, the British Parliament held hearings, forcing Murdoch to distance himself, arguably to a degree from his own son. Curiously his other news outlets in Australia and the US, including Fox, barely acknowledged the sister rag's disaster across the ocean.

Interestingly, the Nº2 shareholder of NewsCorp is Alwaleed Bin Talal, a Saudi prince and businessman who also heads the "Kingdom Foundation."[4] In 2010, Fox News reported that the "mosque" to be built next[5] to the site of the former World Trade Center was funded by the Kingdom Foundation, an organization they say which "funds madrasas [sic] all over the world", as a possible link to terrorist motives for the building of the mosque, while failing to mention that the guy who funds it is also in business with Murdoch.[6] So, if Fox News were to be judged by its own standards of guilt by association, it would qualify as a terrorist front.

Control

As a public company, Fox is technically no longer foreign owned, since anyone can buy a slice of ownership, but it's still very much foreign controlled, which seems to escape the far-right.

Rupert Murdoch mandated his 'news' outlets (including WSJ) not to report negative stories about China, partly to assure the Chinese he can control what's released and partly to protect his own business interests.[Citation Needed] When Israel bombed Lebanon's infrastructure rather than Hamas, again Rupert directed Fox to cover his assets.[Citation Needed]

Staffing

Fox News employs people on all parts of the political spectrum, from the far-right to the ultra-right.
Roger Ailes, the president of Fox News, was Tricky Dick’s media advisor.[7]

Programming

Fox News' usual programming includes anything containing the words: Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith, celebrity, or other such pointless drivel. Occasionally, they let actual news slip by, but it is always quickly removed. They are also your National Headquarters for uninteresting Southern California car chases.Template:More

Mostly, Fox enjoys providing deep discussions shouting matches about anythingthatbothersthem. During the temporary short periods of relaxation to catch your breath, they occasionally mention some real "news," but quickly change the subject.

Fox News was the first to inform us that Barack Obama is a Muslim sleeper, trained in a radical Islamic madrasa, a co-conspirator of terrorist Bill Ayers, who salutes his wife with a "terrorist fist jab." Fox is still awaiting a Pulitzer for these notable revelations.[15]

Covering international affairs, Fox News ensures that there is somehow a reason that the US is involved. Such as: "Lots of murder and genocide is going on in that small African country, but fortunately, the US has no plans to send soldiers there at all," or: "The Asian stockmarket crashed today in a total collapse of their economy, as a result the US stock market will likely suffer slightly until the Asians get their act together."

Fox invented the technique of showing one thing on the screen while commenting upon the opposite, such as Sean Hannity repeatedly asserting Rudy Giuliani was winning the 2008 Republican debates, while live polls showed Ron Paul winning.[16] In November 2009, Sean Hannity marveled at the turnout for a conservative political rally while showing footage of another. Fox and Hannity reported long queues for Sarah Palin's book signings, whereas the actual video came from a McCain campaign rally a year earlier.[17]

When a major news story is breaking and the news is injurious to conservatives or Republicans or can't otherwise be avoided, Fox News takes one or more of these strategies:

Remind viewers that President Bill Clinton had fellatio in the White House and "damaged" the Presidency

Bring in some sort of reminder of 9/11 and emphasize that the nation is safer from terrorism because of what the Republicans are doing

Offer 'proof' President Barack Obama is a radical Muslim/communist/socialist/anti-American/n-n-Negro/terrorist/born in Kenya or somewhere else foreign

Change the subject by presenting celebrity gossip or covering "breaking news" (Fox News Alert), such as an oil refinery fire in Arkansas, far away from the damaging news on Capitol Hill

Ad refusals

Fox is known for occasionally refusing advertisements not coinciding with Murdoch's view of what's good for America. For example, in May 2010, Fox refused to air an advert from VoteVets, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, asking for clean energy development to reduce our dependence upon Middle Eastern oil.[21]

Musical interludes

In 2006, Trent Reznor issued a cease and desist to Fox News for using three songs from Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile on air without permission. The songs "La Mer," "The Great Below," and "The Mark Has Been Made" appeared in an episode of War Stories with Oliver North.[22]

Availability

As of January 2005, it is available to 85 million households in the U.S. and to other viewers internationally. Many of the more outrageous or potentially controversial clips, particularly those of their opinion pundits are widely available on YouTube.

Popularity

One thing Fox has been quite effective at doing is securing a dedicated and loyal audience of considerable size, virtually all of them conservative Republicans. Many Fox News viewers consider it to be literally the only reliable source of information in the United States, leading to laughs all round.

Polls

Popularity

A January 2010 survey[23] conducted by Public Policy Polling reveals Fox News as the most trusted name in television, voted tops by three quarters of Republicans and considerably fewer Democrats.

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“A generation ago you would have expected Americans to place their trust in the most neutral and unbiased conveyors of news. But the media landscape has really changed and now they’re turning more toward the outlets that tell them what they want to hear.”

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—Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling

It is interesting to wonder, however, that somehow, despite their higher-than-everyone-else ratings, everyone else is labeled as the "mainstream media".

Reliability

Popularity does not translate into integrity or knowledge. A December 2010 University of Maryland study showed Fox News viewers aren't merely the most uninformed, but the most misinformed.[24]

A November 2011 Fairleigh Dickinson University study found similar results, that people who watched no news were better informed than those who watched Fox News. Fox viewers were much more likely "to believe false information about politics."[25] The study also revealed Fox News fans had a poor grasp of situations in the Middle East.[26]

News babes

In order to capture the demographic that is too old to either Google for porn or buy Playboy, Fox employs a host of hawt "news babes" (or "anchor babes"). Many of the news babes were former models or have used Fox to bolster their modeling careers. Because the only thing that's expected of them is to look good in short skirts and hooker boots while regurgitating wingnut talking points, the news babe phenomenon might be the ultimate case of wingnut welfare. The most popular news babes are, in order:

Political involvement

Republican Governors donations

In August 2010, Fox News Corp continued its 'fair and balanced' doctrine, donating $1 million to the Republican Governors Association.[29] Bloomberg News reports Fox News Corp is the largest corporate donor to the RGA.[30][31]

Fox News took out full-page ads in the Washington Post, the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal.[36][37] In promoting the Tea Party, Fox often took the approach that mainstream news ignored this important news story, crafting prominent headlines reading, "How did ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and CNN miss this story?"[38][39]

Gabrielle Giffords shooting

Fox backed away from self-criticism in the 8 January 2011 shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, in which six others were killed, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl. In repudiating responsibility for rhetoric, Sean Hannity implied liberals were at fault. On 12 January, Sarah Palin issued a “blood libel” video statement, denying her Giffords-in-the-crosshairs attacks could be at fault while implying she (Palin) was the real victim.[40]

Meanwhile, Fox cancelled a planned appearance of Joan Rivers who partially blamed the Arizona shootings on Palin and referred to Sarah as "stupid and a threat."[41] Fox naturally denied cancellation, insisting it wasn't censorship but a 'mistake', immediately refuted by Joan's daughter Melissa Rivers and a Rivers producer and respresentative.[42]

Criticism

Fox News has been the subject of a variety of criticisms.

Disguised opinion

In lieu of sourcing, Fox News uses phrases like "some say…" or "someone asked…" to obscure editorial manipulation and opinion-casting. 'Some' have called it (wink) empty calories of journalism.[43]

Graphics

Fox News exploits the mathematical illiteracy of the public by using graphs distorted beyond what mere incompetence could explain. In many cases, their figures don't add up and in others, numbers are graphically misrepresented - as people rarely read the numbers when a graph is given.[44]

Fox Nation

In April of 2009, Media Matters began documenting Fox Nation's false and blatantly biased stories. After one year, their laundry list of the most extreme examples contained approximately 350 entries.[45]

Outfoxed

The documentary Outfoxed examines the biases and internal pressures at Fox News and their network outlets.[46]

Further wingnut welfare

Besides its stable of news babes, Fox keeps a large number of other wingnuts on its dole. The two most egregious examples are the former GOP convicts it employs, Oliver North, an architect of the Iran-Contra affair, and G. Gordon Liddy, one of the Watergate plumbers. (Bets on when Tom DeLay gets hired?) Then there are the propagandistsstrategerists "analysts" like Frank Luntz and Karl Rove. Don't forget your Steve Milloy-type corporate shills either.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia dedicates an entire article to Fox News distortions and questionable acts.[47] The fact that it is 88 kilobytes in size, and about 10,000 words long, while the main article is only around 64 kb, and 8000 words long, should raise a few eyebrows, and not only that, their "Fox News" article is so controversial they had to semi-protect it.

Media Matters

Media Matters reports instances in which Fox News altered images of people, places, and things to influence viewers. [48] They even have subcategories for individual programs and personalities.

The party switch

One of the more interesting Fox Techniques involves the fairly consistent "party switch" from Republican (R) to Democrat (D) when a prominent GOP member is caught up in a public scandal. The following is a list of various examples of such (see here for screen captures of each):

Mark Foley - A Republican member of the House of Representatives from Florida, Foley was alleged to have sent sexually inappropriate messages via email and text messages to teenage male pages. Ironically, he also introduced the "Child Modeling Exploitation prevention Act of 2002". In several interviews, Fox News tagged him as a (D), or Democrat, on their subtitles.[49]

John McCain - Seen by many as a more moderate Republican during and following the 2004 Republican primaries, Fox News also labeled him a (D).

Ted Stevens - Prior to the 2008 Senate elections, this Senator from Alaska was facing charges of failing to disclose benefits received. Fox News labeled him a (D).

Mark Sanford - The Republican Governor of South Carolina in 2009 was dramatically found to be having an affair with an Argentinian woman after a week in which his whereabouts were unknown. During his press conference in which he admitted his affair, Fox News identified him as a (D).

Foxual revisionism

Fox has notoriously editted crowds at spontaneous staged events to inflate the appearance of large numbers that attended Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and Tea Party 'events'. Writer Lindsay Robertson shows a "fun gotcha" how Fox photoshops (or videoshops) footage to exaggerate crowd number sizes for their reality program Master Chef.

Chris Wallace interviewed Jon Stewart on his show Fox News Sunday, where Stewart gave a pretty decent spanking to Fox News and Wallace. However, when it was broadcast Fox had deleted out 10 minutes of the 24 minute interview including all the embarrassing bits.[50][51]

Not to be deterred by revisionism, the following Tuesday Stewart used the predominate theme "Fox News doesn't lie" in the edited interview, and listed dozens of Fox lies.[52] Wallace's response to the editing and lies pointed out by Stewart was to apologize for saying Fox News provided the other side of the story instead of the full story...or as Stewart paraphrased "That's your 'setting the record straight'? 'I accidentally told the truth and now I wish I could take it back'?"[53]

Quotes about Fox News

“

You know what a fake news show on Fox News should give you? Real news!

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—Lewis Black (speaking about The 1/2 Hour News Hour)

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Fox tends to lean more to the right than a man who's just had his right leg blown off.

—Chris Wallace in response to Jon Stewart asking if Fox News is as ideologically neutral as most of the mainstream media

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That to Fox, any editorial view that doesn't favor conservatism is elitist, but favoring conservatism is justified because it needs to be protected against liberal biases. And if you question this logic, it only proves how right they are.